Slaid Cleaves
Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away
release date 4/21/09 on Music Road Records
MRR CD 103
Produced by Gurf Morlix, Charles Arthur, Billy Harvey and Slaid Cleaves
Recorded and mixed by Gurf Morlix at Rootball Studio, Austin, Texas, except:
Black T Shirt and Run Jolee Run produced by Charles Arthur and recorded
by Stewart Myers at White Star Sound, Louisa, Virginia, with additional
recording by Gurf Morlix; mixed by Gurf Morlix
Cry produced and recorded by Billy Harvey at The Bee Hive, Austin,
Texas and mixed by Lars Goransson at Sounds Outrageous, Austin,
Texas (umlaut over first o, if possible)
Mastered by Fred Remmert at Cedar Creek, Austin, Texas
Special thanks to Mark Hallman, Patty Griffin, Sara Arthur and Dwayne Nitz
Photography by Karen Cleaves
Cover art by Dan Blakeslee
Art design by Bryan Peterson
Thanks to Gurf, Charles and Billy for their wholehearted dedication to
this project. Thanks to all the musicians and co-writers who
contributed their talents so gernerously. Thanks to Blaine and
Kathy England, Jim and Marlene Urban, Chris and Adelaide Bratcher, Tim
and Wendy Paradis and Brad and Louisa Chandler for sharing their homes
so graciously. Thanks to Libby and John and Maddy Roy for hosting
Ms Hud. Thanks to Jimmy LaFave, Fred Remmert and Kelcy Warren at
Music Road Records. Thanks to Lee Olsen at Keith Case and
Associates. Thanks to David Wykoff and Mike Crowley for advice
and counsel. Thanks to Karen for everything (and I mean
everything) else.
Dedicated to Craig and Jenny Cleaves
© 2009 Slaid Cleaves
www.slaid.com
(click on song title for lyrics)
1 Cry Slaid Cleaves Magic Rat Music, BMI
2 Hard to Believe Adam Carroll/Slaid Cleaves ArtMob Music, BMI/Magic Rat Music, BMI
3 Beyond Love Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott Magic Rat Music, BMI/Welding Rod Music, BMI
4 Green Mountains and Me Slaid Cleaves/David Farnsworth Magic Rat Music, BMI/First Branch Publishers, BMI
5 Run Jolee Run Ray Bonneville Stonefly Publishing, SOCAN / ASCAP
6 Dreams Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott Magic Rat Music, BMI/Welding Rod Music, BMI
7 Black T Shirt Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott Magic Rat Music, BMI/Welding Rod Music, BMI
8 Tumbleweed Stew Slaid Cleaves/Ron Coy/Michael O'Connor Magic Rat Music, BMI/Verda Mae Music, ASCAP
9 Twistin' Slaid Cleaves/Eric Blakely Magic Rat Music, BMI/Agnes Music, BMI
10 Beautiful Thing Slaid Cleaves Magic Rat Music, BMI
11 Temporary Slaid Cleaves Magic Rat Music, BMI
blurb:
I’m glad I found Slaid Cleaves, because my life would have been
poorer without him. You’ll feel the same, I think, when you
listen to this beautifully crafted album. Listen, go to one of
Slaid’s shows, take a friend, and pass on the news: not all the
good guys wear hats. --Stephen King, January 18, 2009
notes:
Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away
by Stephen King
Once upon a time, children, back in the happy olden
days when Americans’ choice of music was a little more diverse
than it is now, there was a wonderful program called Rogue Calls on XM
Cross-Country, a radio station that played country music by men and
women who did not, by and large, wear cowboy hats. The format was as
simple as the motto: “You request, we decide.” People would
call in from all over the country, usually on skeezie old cell phones,
asking for songs by fabulous performers that mainstream country-music
radio never heard of: James McMurtry, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Cross Canadian
Ragweed, Gurf Morlix (who, it so happens, co-produced the album
you’re now holding in your lucky little hand), Rosie Flores, also
known as the Rockabilly Filly.
I listened to Rogue Calls without fail, and one day some trucker with a
southern accent as thick as Alabama chicken-dirt called in and asked if
he could hear “that quittin’-drinkin’ song.”
That song, of course, was “Drinkin’ Days,” by Slaid
Cleaves, and it went into me like a bolt of dry lightning. Some of it
was how the subject-matter was treated (unflinching and
unsentimental—no fake Nashville tears here), but a lot of it had
to do with the singer’s calm, dusty/sweet voice. I thought it was
the voice of a real American troubadour, and when I got home, I made
checking Slaid Cleaves out on the Internet my first priority.
I bought the album—Wishbones—the next day, and was
astounded to find there was not a single bad track on it. I also
discovered he was from South Berwick, Maine, the town I was living in
when I wrote Stand by Me. We were, in other words, homeboys. Nice!
I’m not particularly good when it comes to talking about music,
but I know what works for me; what comes across as one hundred per cent
authentic. Slaid Cleaves is that thing. He starts in, and something
inside the listener speaks up and says, “You’re
home.” He can be funny; he can be romantic without being sappy
(no mean trick); he can touch your heart with songs like
“Cry” and “Temporary;” he can tell stories
without lapsing into the rather worn-out poses of American folk music.
His taste is as deft as his touch. As on Wishbones, his
breakthrough album, there is not a single bad track or wrongfooted step
on Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away. From the hardscrabble (but
cheerful) verses of “Hard to Believe” to the
bluegrass-tinged lament of “Green Mountains and Me” to the
harsh, sarcastic—and reluctantly optimistic—lines of
“Beautiful Thing,” this is a record that just goddam works,
from first to last.
I’m glad I found Slaid Cleaves, because my life would have been
poorer without him. You’ll feel the same, I think, when you
listen to this beautifully crafted album. Listen, go to one of
Slaid’s shows, take a friend, and pass on the news: not all the
good guys wear hats.
January 18, 2009
Cry - Slaid Cleaves
New love like a diamond
Like a twinkling star
But it's a whole lot of heartache
To get to where we are
'Cause every man is a myth
Every woman a dream
Watch your little heart get crushed
When the truth gets in between
Every bond is a bond to sorrow
Your blue sky turns grey
Everything you love will be taken away
Cry for your mama
Cry for your dad
Cry for everything you know they never had
Lyin' in the bed you made
Aw, but you were so young
Say a prayer, put your head down
Gotta prove your mama wrong
There's no poison like a dream
When it all comes undone
Don't you know that in the end
You're not fooling anyone
Every bond is a bond to sorrow
Your blue sky turns grey
Everything you love will be taken away
Cry for your mama
Cry for your dad
Cry for everything you know they never had
You know they never had
Between the rum and the glass
Between the teeth and the tongue
Come December when the lights go out
You know you can't count on anyone
Between a dream and a lie
Between hope and what's real
After so many years of 'Let's work it out'
You'd think there'd be some kind of deal
Cry for your mama
Cry for your dad
Cry for everything you know they never had
The love they never had
Billy Harvey - drums, percussion, bass, guitar, piano
Hard to Believe - Slaid Cleaves/Adam Carroll
We got old time bars still standing on downtown city streets
Old ladies serving drinks inside with no color in their cheeks
Listening to a Haggard song
You can put your old blue collar on
Old Milwaukee on Christmas Eve
It's hard to believe
Street girls hop from foot to foot, trying to keep warm
Trying to pay down a few bills before the next big storm
On a corner, trembling in the wind
Amazed at the mess they're in
Wipin' their noses on their sleeve
It's hard to believe
I swore I'd leave the day they knocked that old smokestack down
But there's a guy I need to talk to before I quit this town
Drivin' past the prison yard
Still got my old Teamsters card
Still waitin' on my reprieve
It's hard to believe
When I looked into her smiling eyes I saw dreams so fine
Like the Spirit of Chicago on a lonesome old railroad line
I would have gone with her that day
I just watched her as she drove away
I guess one of us had to leave
It's hard to believe
Here comes another blown up kid from over there
Making the whole world safe for the millionaires
The same old swindle hides
Behind a fresh new coat of lies
It's no time to be naive
It's hard to believe
We got old time bars still standing on downtown city streets
Old ladies serving drinks inside with no color in their cheeks
Listening to a Haggard song
You can put your old blue collar on
It's another New Years Eve
It's hard to believe
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass, electric guitar, 12-string electric guitar, lap steel guitar
Beyond Love - Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott
She sleeps softly beside
And in secrets we abide
Long gone is the sharp pain
Of young love's foolish game
Days fade into night shades beyond love
Sometimes I'm afraid she
Puts too much faith in me
God knows I try but I'm
Bound to fall down sometime
Perfume faint as empty whiskey
Glasses sweet and soft
Dusty bed side table lamp
Throws light on something lost
Days fade into night shades beyond love
Outside a cold hand waits
From the gloaming to the dawn
As love sleeps safe in memory
And you hold on, hold on
Perfume faint as empty whiskey
Glasses sweet and soft
Dusty bed side table lamp
Throws light what we've lost
Love fades into night shades beyond love
Days fade into night shades beyond love
Beyond love
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass
Charles Arthur - piano
Steven Foley - English horn
Trish Murphy - background vocals
Green Mountains and Me - Slaid Cleaves/David Farnsworth
You're on the other side of the world tonight
But under the same cold stars
And tonight I'll dream you right back home
To this little life of ours
We'll walk hand in hand through fields of green
Just like we did last year
But it's so hard to wake up every day
And watch as your dreams disappear
It's quiet here, your little boy's asleep
He looks more like you every day
Won't you come back, come back my darlin'
Each night I pray on bended knee
Won't you come back to the Green Mountains and me
I see a car winding up the driveway
Up to your parents' place
The old man looks up from his raking
As the color drains from your mama's face
Cryin' softly by the window now
While your daddy shakes the soldiers hands
Their taillights disappear into the woods below
He's frozen in the doorway where he stands
In the twilight, in the silent snow
I hear you singing in my ear
Won't you come back . . .
The seasons come and the seasons go
We live from day to day
And I lose a little bit of myself
With each tear I wipe away
People on the street used to stop and chat
Now they look down and walk on by
Won't you come back . . .
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass
Gene Elders - fiddle
Trish Murphy - background vocals
Run Jolee Run - Ray Bonneville
Out where the tracks cut county road 9
A diesel pulls up a long line
Slowin up the grade to a crawl
Where Jolee waits for an empty car
Away from that man
With a cruel tongue and a violent hand
Who done told her more than once
I'll put you six under if you try to run
She walked into the pawn and said I'll take the little 32
The man at the counter said are you sure, what you're gonna do
Run, Jolee run, Jolee run
Arkansas border Tennessee bound
Across the muddy water into Memphis town
A walk-up room, deadbolt on the door
Street light moon, a creak in the floor
Neon glows till the break of day
Where she goes to make money
Pourin whiskey, pourin gin
Don't tell nobody where she's been
And that little 32 in her pocket is loaded
Run, Jolee run, Jolee run
The scene plays, in her head
Over and over again
There's a movement, beneath the streetlamp
And that little 32 gun is in her hand
It barks like a dog, two three four
Last call in the shadows
Now Jolee waits for a morning train
Goin where nobody knows her name
Run, Jolee run, Jolee run
Brian Jones - drums
Stewart Myers - bass
Charles Arthur - Wurlitzer
Gurf Morlix - resonator guitar
Dreams - Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott
You hung your hopes on a crooked nail
Dropped your dreams down a rusted pail
A little broken china coffee cup
Could hold what's left of what you still won't give up
Where do all your dreams go to
When it all starts to turn untrue
What is all your wishing for
When you just don't believe
Anymore
You threw your love like a skipping stone
Never had a chance, you shoulda known
Beg the fates to give it back
And you're sinking as the sky goes black
Where do all your dreams go to
When it all starts to turn untrue
What is all your praying for
When you don't believe the words
Anymore
An eyelash lay upon her face
You still keep it in a secret place
Take it out and remember when
She was here then put it back again
Put it back again
A million stars in the cold black sky
Maybe one will fall for you tonight
A silver moon and diamonds high
A worthless penny when she said goodbye
Where do all your dreams go to
When it all starts to turn untrue
What is all your wishing for
When you don't believe in dreams
Anymore
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass, baritone guitar, field organ
Michael O'Connor - acoustic lead guitar
Charles Arthur - piano
Trish Murphy - background vocals
Black T-Shirt - Slaid Cleaves/Rod Picott
In your black t-shirt, in the parking lot
In your drone boots out back smokin' pot
Gotta black eye and you wear it proud
Guns and Roses way up loud
Just a little cut up on your brow
The principal said don't come back now
Every night it's a scream and shout
There's a new boyfriend and he wants you out
You know your going to pay for the things you do
You know what you'll put your mama through
You hitchhike to work then you hitchhike back
Hope you're home before the sky goes black
Cars go by but they don't stop
These days no one picks you up
You know your going to pay for the things you do
You know what you'll put your mama through
Over the bridge to the Texaco
There's a guy works there you used to know
He knows a dealer off the interstate
Now you got a plan and a .38
You know your going to pay for the things you do
You know what you'll put your mama through
In your black t-shirt, in the parking lot
In your drone boots out back smokin' pot
Brian Jones - drums
Stewart Myers - bass, organ
Charles Arthur - electric guitar
Gurf Morlix - electric guitar
Tumbleweed Stew - Slaid Cleaves/Ron Coy/Michael O'Connor
I work as a hand in San Saba
Fences and windmills to mend
I been out on a crew, eating tumbleweed stew
Three weeks in the rain and the wind
I got mud on my boots and blood on my money
And I'm looking to head into town
But as soon as my truck rounds the corner
That old deputy is staring me down
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
If I get a wild hair, and go off on a tear
I'm liable to end up alone
Nobody wants to run with me now
But I'm restless down to the bone
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Old man, are you listening?
'Cause I'm down here, asking you
I know you made me this way
So what do you expect me to do?
I drove out of town with my paycheck
Bad snake blood running through my veins
Hooked up with a truckload of illegals
And a pocket full of cocaine
We had us some fun, now I'm on the run
And I won't be coming back soon
Just me and some rangy coyotes
Howlin' up at the cold desert moon
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Nobody wants me hanging around
I guess I'll have to go it alone
I'll have to head down to the border I guess
And I don't know when I'll be back home
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
And if I don't ever make it back
You can carve this right on my tombstone:
Where can a good man go crazy?
Where can a cowboy get stoned?
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass
Michael O'Connor - acoustic lead guitar
Billy Bright - mandolin
Twistin' - Slaid Cleaves/Eric Blakely
Years ago on an April day
A crowd gathered from miles around
Over a thousand, I heard one say
All around me on the square in town
Ladies dressed up in their best
Kids ran around and played
They all come to see me I guessed
Me and the sheriff and a man in chains
The Reverend Sam began a prayer
To the women, the men, the boys and girls
"We are graveyard sons and daughters
Passing through an unfriendly world"
A few last words and down he goes
Teeth bared in an awful grin
A cheer rises up from the crowd
As I hold him, twistin in the wind
Men held up their babies to see
Reporters jotted down a tale
Hawkers brought out lemonade
And the ladies headed for the hangin' day sale
From time to time these folks would come
And all but one would walk away
I'd shudder as the rope snapped tight
But I got used to hanging day
Now they don't gather round no more
Though I'm tall and stouter still
Now they do it all behind closed doors
They say it's a better way to kill
The Reverend Sam began a prayer
To the women, the men, the boys and girls
"We are graveyard sons and daughters
Passing through an unfriendly world"
A few last words and down he goes
Teeth bared in an awful grin
A cheer rises up from the crowd
As I hold him, twistin in the wind
One more poor boy dead and gone
Twistin in the wind
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar
Gene Elders - fiddle
Slaid Cleaves - field organ, turtle rattle
Beautiful Thing - Slaid Cleaves
Surrogates and shadowy henchmen galore
Party hacks and swift-boatin' talk-show whores
Look at all the lies it takes, the job of making kings
You can own the truth, you just gotta conceive it
Put it on the television screen, they'll believe it
It's a beautiful thing
We wonder how our leaders could ever deceive us
While the profiteers count their cash and praise Jesus
The press sings another chorus of "Let Freedom Ring"
We send our boys away to come home in parts
Believe the lies with all our hearts
It's a beautiful thing
Dissention is a song only fools and traitors sing
Just look at all the benefits your global economy brings
Today we sing the gilded age's song
The 20th century's dead and gone
It's a beautiful thing
I live in a land of hope and betrayal
I get up each morning, try to tell the tale
And so until my dying day whatever fate may bring
A dark age looms, there's evil at hand
Somehow I still believe in the goodness of man
It's a beautiful thing
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass
Gene Elders - fiddle
Michael O'Connor - acoustic lead guitar
Temporary - Slaid Cleaves
Fall down on your knees
Hear the whisper through the trees
No one's come to save you
Let fade the little lies
The sentimental cries
Behold what nature gave you
All you see
Every love and every dream
Temporary
As the morning dew will turn to steam
Battered by the years
We'll quit this vale of tears
And leave the world to turn
The voice of midnight comes
And spoken on its tongue:
Man's infinite concern
All you see
Every joy and every sting
Temporary
As the blooming of the rose in spring
Live well and learn to die
Soon in the dust you'll lie
With everything you know
Cruel death will not spare
The wise, the young or fair
Let us drain this cup of woe
All you see
Every thing and every friend
Temporary
A love you thought would never end
Every love and every dream
And every joy and every sting
Temporary
The lullaby your mother would sing
Rick Richards - drums
Gurf Morlix - bass, electric guitar, background vocals
Charles Arthur - piano
Billy Bright - mandolin
Rod Picott - acoustic guitar
back to list of songs
|
|
